Ranebennuru is a city in

Haveri district Haveri is a district in the state of Karnataka, India. As of 2011, it had a population of 1,597,668, out of which 20.78% were urban residents. The district headquarters is Haveri. Name of the place Haveri is derived from two Kannada words "Hav ...

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

.It is situated northwest of

Bengaluru Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...

, the capital of Karnataka. Other nearby cities include

Hubballi Hubli, officially known as Hubballi, is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. The twin cities Hubli–Dharwad form the second largest city in the state by area and population and the largest city in North Karnataka. Hubli is in Dharwad distr ...

(108 km) and

Mangaluru Mangalore (), officially known as Mangaluru, is a major port city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is located between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats about west of Bangalore, the state capital, 20 km north of Karnataka–Ker ...

(271 km).

Geography

Ranebennuru is at the geographical center of Karnataka. . It has an average elevation of . One of Karnataka's most important rivers – the Tungabhadra – flows along the southern border of Ranebennur

taluk A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluka, or taluk) is a local unit of administrative division in some countries of South Asia. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administr ...

. Another river, the Kumadvathi, which originates from Madagh Masur Lake flows from

Hirekerur Hirekeruru is a panchayat town in Haveri district in the Indian state of Karnataka. The name "the village of the big pond" (from the components ''hire'' "ಹಿರೆ", big; ''kere'' "ಕೆರೆ", pond; and ''uru'', village). The name is pron ...

taluk, enters Ranebennur taluk, and joins the Tungabhadra river. The nearest airport is at

, 108 km from Ranebennur. From there one can reach Bengaluru and Mumbai by flight. The nearest international airports are 271 km and 300 km away, in Mangaluru and Bengaluru respectively. Ranebennur is connected with most of the metros like Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Chennai through regular trains. Being situated on National Highway NH4, the city enjoys good bus services. It is a 1.5 hour drive from Hubli (105 km) and 5 hour drive from Bengaluru (300 km). Most buses travelling between North Karnataka and South Karnataka pass through Ranebennur.

Demographics

India

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

, Ranebennur has a population of 106,365. Males constitute 50.7% of the population and females 49.3%. Ranebennur has a literacy rate of 60.98%, higher than the national average of 59.5%. Male literacy is 60.16% and female literacy is 61.8%. In Ranebennur, 10.8% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Economy

The bulk of the population is engaged in agriculture and related activities. Cotton and jowar (

sorghum ''Sorghum'' () is a genus of about 25 species of flowering plants in the grass family (Poaceae). Some of these species are grown as cereals for human consumption and some in pastures for animals. One species is grown for grain, while many othe ...

) are very well suited to the semi-arid climate. Coconut, brinjal, maize, betel leaves, and tomatoes are the other crops grown here both as produce and for their seeds. Much of the agricultural output is dependent on the southwest monsoon and hence gets challenging at times. the Upper Tunga project, if completed, will be a boon for the farmers in this region.http://waterresources.kar.nic.in/salient_features_uppertunga.htm

Sericulture Sericulture, or silk farming, is the cultivation of silkworms to produce silk. Although there are several commercial species of silkworms, ''Bombyx mori'' (the caterpillar of the domestic silkmoth) is the most widely used and intensively studie ...

(rearing of

silkworms The domestic silk moth (''Bombyx mori''), is an insect from the moth family Bombycidae. It is the closest relative of ''Bombyx mandarina'', the wild silk moth. The silkworm is the larva or caterpillar of a silk moth. It is an economically imp ...

) is growing in popularity among the farmers.

Mulberry ''Morus'', a genus of flowering plants in the family Moraceae, consists of diverse species of deciduous trees commonly known as mulberries, growing wild and under cultivation in many temperate world regions. Generally, the genus has 64 identif ...

plants are grown and silkworm larvae are fed cut-up mulberry leaves. This is a labour-intensive activity and hence well suited to this region. Ranebennur is home to a rich commodity market. Commodities like cotton yarn, cottonseed, oilseeds, red chilli, betel nut, and betel leaf are traded. Ranebennur has a seed multiplication industry. Several seed companies are located and operating in the city. Ranebennur is also known for its wholesale cloth market and all type of wholesale business. Sarees are also a very vast market.

Fauna

Ranebennuru is home to a wildlife sanctuary.

Ranibennur Blackbuck Sanctuary Ranebennur Blackbuck Sanctuary (119 km2) was declared as a sanctuary mainly to protect blackbucks. It comprises two unconnected portions, an eastern and a western bit. The sanctuary has a core zone of 14.87 km2 and a buffer-cum touris ...

is home to blackbuck, Great Indian Bustard and wolves. Great Indian Bustard was last spotted in 2005 and maybe locally extinct.

References

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External links

Ranebennur city Government website
Cities and towns in Haveri district Cities in Karnataka